Education

SUPPLEMENT TO THE FREE PRESS • SATURDAY, AUGUST 13, 2022 9 EDUCATION GUIDE USB thrives in research at all levels BY WENDY KING G ood science, good public policy and best practice in any field of endeavour is built on a foundation of good research. Since raising its status from a college to a university in 2011, the Université de Saint-Boniface (USB) has been actively develop- ing a research culture and creat- ing a strategy for training new re- searchers. With approximately 1,500 stu- dents, the Université de Saint- Boniface is the only French- language university in Western Canada. It is their priority to train and retain Francophone talent, including researchers. The Université de Saint-Bon- iface offers undergrads partici- pation in research projects (in French and, in some cases, in both official languages) in areas such as science, education, translation, immigration, mental health, Métis population and nursing care. Renée Desjardins, an associate professor who joined the USB's faculty in 2014, pursues research in Translation Studies and Cana- dian Studies. Her work focuses on translation in online and digital contexts, and more particularly on multilingual conversations on social media. At the start of the pandemic, Desjardins was spurred to research accessibility of public health mes- saging in Manitoba. She found that access to information was challenging for Manitobans who did not have English as a first lan- guage. "You would have to first access information in English and hope that you could understand it in order to make the best informed decision," she says. She says the goal is to find gaps and use quantitative and quali- tative data to help inform policy that puts best language practices in place — every day and in cri- sis — to move to equity, diversion and inclusion in communication in a linguistically diverse popula- tion. Desjardins is proud of what USB research programs enable her — and Francophone research assistants — to accomplish. She asserts many students have the interest and skills to research at the undergraduate level, but they need someone to provide the op- portunity to put that talent to use. "Students I have worked with come in with a really great skill set. They are social media-savvy, they understand technology, they're very agile and curious," she says. "In my line of research, especial- ly in online and digital contexts, everything moves so quickly that having a student who's plugged in allows me to stay plugged in as well." This early exposure to research projects gives students transfer- able skills to take to the workforce and, for some, it sparks an inter- est in graduate work. It gives both undergrads and the USB the op- portunity to shine in the academic world. At the USB, research assistants are also making their mark in other important areas. The op- portunity to work as a research as- sistant proved to be a valuable ex- perience for Lynne Connelly, who just completed her first year of her bachelor of education. It's crucial to bring undergradu- ate assistants into the research mix, Connelly notes. "It's important to have an assis- tant or even multiple researchers because multiple perspectives are so important," she says. Connelly worked as a transcrib- er on a project where 40 K-to-12 teachers were interviewed about their experiences during the pan- demic and how they managed the various impacts. The project she is currently working on — along with two other USB students un- der the direction of education professor Gail Cormier — focuses on integrating technology into the classroom with programs from Apple Teacher. "We're designing French lan- guage online tutorials that will be made available to teachers in French immersion and Franco- phone schools in Manitoba," says Connelly. "The takeaway is how can we be prepared for a future pandemic or a school shutdown: how do we pivot quickly, integrate technolo- gy, support students better all un- der the scope of living in a Franco- phone minority setting." Although separate, Connelly's two projects do share a common concern: many students only have the opportunity to speak French while at school and experienced a lag on return to the classroom. "The first project had me tran- scribe audio interviews from teachers explaining how they dealt with a pandemic, how they overcame the challenges and how it impacted language develop- ment," Connelly says. She says the Apple project will augment what is being learned about pivoting in a crisis. "I think it's really important to integrate that in our planning and in our pedagogy for students to see how we model the use of this technology and for them to be able to use it themselves," she says. At the same time, these valuable hands-on research opportunities bring benefits to both the under- graduate research assistants and the university as a whole through the practical application of knowl- edge at all levels. Visit www.ustboniface.ca to learn more about the Université de Saint-Boniface. We're designing French language online tutorials that will be made available to teachers in French immersion and Francophone schools in Manitoba." — Lynne Connelly PHOTO BY DARCY FINLEY Gail Cormier, associate professor in the Faculty of Education, stands alongside Lynne Connelly, Naziha Yemboul and Gabriel Fields. Visit www.ustboniface.ca to learn more about the Université de Saint-Boniface. UNIVERSITÉ DE SAINT-BONIFACE SUPPLIED PHOTO Renée Desjardins FUTURE, SET. Becoming an insurance broker can get you there. GET STARTED AT IBAM.MB.CA

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